Tape, Newspapers and {Empty} Boxes

Two and a half weeks until closing on our house, and I have less than 3 boxes packed. And so far, I've only packed books. I've searched the web for "moving tips", thinking that would put me into the mood to begin the process that I am all-too-familiar with. I have been collecting boxes from work for weeks now, and we've been saving the Sunday paper (sans coupons) and got tape and some Sharpies with a $10 Target GC that we got when we got the newspaper subscription. So I've got the goods. The problem is the lack of desire to actually PUT things IN the empty boxes. I don't know what it is about starting to pack that makes me so unmotivated. I am usually ready for a big change like this, and although I can enthusiastically say that I am MORE than ready to move, I just feel overwhelmed (?) about packing.

Maybe when the Phils win the World Series, Rob will want to help.

Most likely, the day before the truck gets here, we will be tossing things in boxes randomly.

This past Saturday, we purchased 16 gallons of paint that will get us started on getting the house ready to move into before we actually move on Thanksgiving weekend. 6 gallons of s ceiling paint, 2 gallons of Dusty Gold, 2 gallons of Harvest Brown (a tan tone), 2 gallons of Tate Olive, and 2 gallons of Bradford Brown (think brown and eggplant, mixed). We tried to choose natural colors so that we could bring the view from the outside in, since we have such great natural light and wonderful views of fields out of most of our windows.

In preparation for pulling out the old, nasty carpets, we have been purchasing, collecting, and searching for area rugs... a sometimes arduous task.

Before Tour

I have recently been inspired, and I admit a bit addicted, to YoungHouseLove - a blog written by a couple who has been renovating and redecorating their rancher in Virginia. They have a very clean style, and some really great ideas/motivation for tackling tough projects. Inspired to try some of these great DIY projects? Yes. But perhaps I am even more inspired by them to document the transformation of our very own stone rancher over the course of the next, well... who knows how long it will all take. Sherry over at YHL does this blogging thing as her full-time job, so although I know I won't be able to post detailed directions to all of our makeover projects, you'll at least be able to check out the before and after shots (and make suggestions, if you like!) as we make our first place our very own. So here's the BEFORE tour. Enjoy! And remember it's okay if you cringe, because let's be honest... this house needs a whole lot of updating and TLC.

The exterior of the house, from the front corner. The bushes need a little work, the windows need painted, but there is a lot of natural light that will be great. And I have a bit of a hankering for a red door...

This is the enclosed stone patio overlooking our great backyard. One of our long-term projects at this point will be to make this a glass enclosed room and then create an outdoor stone patio around it.

If Rob ever looses his day job, he might be able to get his inspector's license. From this picture, you can see our nice, flat driveway and spacious 2 car garage. The large evergreen tree on the right of the picture will be getting cut down, as you can see the hindrance it is to the door into the porch.

A view of the backyard from the edge of the driveway. The shed is ours, and we have a great view of preserved farmland.

Rob on the roof, which has another 5-10 year lifespan.

This is the door/hallway between the porch and the kitchen. Right now this area has three doors within 2 square feet of space. Between the brown door and white door, there is a door to the right which leads to the walk-up attic. The brown door will probably be getting taken down... the previous owners were a bit door-crazy!

Great windows over the kitchen sink! I am so glad I won't have to look at the wall anymore while cleaning up. Though you can't really tell by the picture, the Formica countertops are a deep peachy, coral-ly color...

which you can see a bit better in this picture. In this room, we'd like to paint the cabinets white, redo the floor, get new appliances, install a new counter top... and the list goes on.

Oh, right. And take down the wallpaper with the bunches of wheat. Luckily this is the only wallpaper in the entire house!

A very dark shot of the master bedroom. Not sure how we will do the window treatments in this room...

We plan to paint the drab brown fireplace white for a clean, finished look. And like I mentioned in an earlier post, there are hardwoods under all this lovely carpet, ripping it up after we paint, of course.

The view of the living room when you walk in the front door, with the hallway to the 3 bedrooms and bathroom to the back right corner and a really nice bay window to the left.

The entrance door from the front of the house into the living room is just to the right of the couch. A wall of faux built-in bookshelves, possibly?

Saving the best for last... the bathrooms. I don't really know what else to say. Above is the half-bath in the master suite. If you sit on the toilet, your knees go under the sink. It's pretty much non-functional, so we're thinking of making it into a closet. The full bathroom has a pink toilet, sink and tub. Let's just say we're not really the pink type. So this bathroom, along with updating the kitchen and eventually finishing the basement (not pictured yet) are on our list of MAJOR projects. Until then, hopefully we'll come up with some solutions that will make it at least livable for a while.

So that's our new house! After November 20th, check back for updates to track our progress.

Inspection. Check.

20 days later (my blogging has taken a back seat to my other part-time job: house hunting), we're well on the way to purchasing our first home!

We found this cute little stone rancher on a great half-acre lot. The estate of an elderly woman who recently passed away will soon become our new abode, and although it needs a TON of TLC, we're glad that it's pretty much a blank slate and we have lots of room to work with (and have I mentioned hardwoods under the 1960's carpet?).

Yesterday was the home inspection, and our mild anxiety about what could potentially be wrong with the house were eased into feelings of being able to fix up the few minor things that need to be done, such as replacing all of the outdated 2-prong electrical outlets, caulking some step-cracks in the basement, repainting the window trim, etc. But no major problems! We're tying up a few loose ends to get our mortgage finalized, and then we will be ready for closing, which is set for November 20th... just in time for moving in over Thanksgiving weekend when we both (and our families and friends!) have time off for the holiday. Stay tuned for our next post... the BEFORE TOUR.

*NOTE: I began writing this post last week, and finally got around to publish it. The inspection was last Tuesday.

The House Hunt Continues...

Well, Rob and I have been spending almost every free moment lately working on the house search. Only a week and a half into the process, we've met with our realtors 4 times, have seen 16 houses, and lost our top house on the list to another bidder who clearly makes faster decisions than we do. When we're not meeting with our realtors to tour houses that we have found online, we are constantly browsing Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com for new listings. We've looked at single-family homes, some with large yards, some with small yards. And we've looked at a few townhouses. I think Rob is more of a fan of the townhouses than I am, mostly because there are less "projects", but I happen to think working on such projects would be good for expanding our skill set, and maybe relationship too (the only time we argue, usually, is when we're working on home improvement projects together). I can usually see past the terrible carpet and wallpaper choices in most homes, but one place we looked at last Saturday was like stepping into a strange world of a cross between the land of the Smurfs and That 70s Show in the bedrooms, with faux exposed wooden beams made out of Styrofoam (gross!) in the living room/kitchen. Sorry, Buchert Road, we just couldn't see the potential. Rob even said, "It's like these people aren't even TRYING to sell their house."

So, here are a few photos I snapped of one of the bedrooms, thanks to my trusty iPhone, even though this is a house I would really like to forget. Sorry, the lighting's poor...
The room had 2 different kinds of wallpaper, and this one was velvety to the touch... eek!
Here's to hoping the homes we see this weekend are a little better than this one...

ROTW - Crab Puffs

Last Friday evening, I had 13 gal-pals over for a Pampered Chef party. Somehow, we all fit into the living room of our smallish apartment. It was a bit warm, but I think everyone had a great time! I made a few appetizers/desserts for my guests (I think of myself as having the gift of hospitality, after all), and my mother-in-law swooned over the crab puffs. A recipe passed down through a few generations of our family from the Methodist cookbook published by the church my mom attended growing up in Yorkana, PA, there couldn't be a simpler, tastier treat!

Unfortunately, they were all consumed before I had a chance to take a picture... and in case you didn't get it ROTW will from here on stand for "recipe of the week"...

CRAB PUFFS

1 pack of english muffins
1 jar (8 oz. I think) of Old English Cheese*
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
1 can of crab meat (6-8 oz.)
a few pinches of garlic powder and sea salt

* Can be found in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores.

Best if made in advance! Halve english muffins and lay out face-up on non-greased cookie sheet (or baking stone if you've recently been to a PC party!). Cream together butter and cheese. Stir in crab meat and seasonings. Spread evenly on english muffins, cover cookie sheet with foil, and place in freezer. Once frozen, this can be easily stored in ziploc plastic bags or something similar in your freezer. When you're ready to heat and serve, turn on your oven's broiler, and broil frozen (not thawed - they get soggy if you thaw first) crab puffs until golden brown on top. Remove, rest, and cut into quarters for a triangular, tasty treat for your next party. Great snack for football watching parties!